There
are many different kinds of pilots. After all, millions of Americans have learned how to fly. Some fly just for fun. Some
fly as a way to travel to their jobs. And some are career pilots who fly professionally to earn a living. The
basic types of pilots in successive order of qualifications include student, sport, recreational, private, instrument rated,
commercial, certificated flight instructor, airline transport pilot, and designated pilot examiner. By the way, you may hear
it called a pilot's license, but technically it's called a pilot certificate.

Student Pilot

This is where everyone starts. Student pilots
learn to fly while working their way through the knowledge and flying skills needed to earn their sport, recreational, or
private pilot certificate. A student pilot's flying privileges are very limited, but provide enough freedom to allow them
to learn all of the basics, including standard airport-to-airport cross-country flying skills and interaction with air traffic
control (ATC). In 2003, there were 87,296 student pilots.

When student pilots first start learning
to fly, they complete all of their flights with a certificated flight instructor (CFI) on board. Once they've reached the
age of 16, have a valid Class III medical, and have mastered the basic skills and educational topics of flight, they can solo
(fly alone without an instructor or other certificated pilot at the controls). The destination and duration of each solo flight
must be approved.

Student pilots are allowed to operate only
at or near their "home-base" airports and — with a special sign-off by their instructors — travel to other local
airports to practice their airport-to-airport cross-country flying skills. Student pilots learn how to fly in good weather
during the day and night. They also learn basic instrument flying skills, which teach them how to fly by reading the instruments
in the cockpit and without visual reference to the ground. They are not allowed to carry any passengers, or to fly for hire.
They are not allowed to operate in the busiest airspace around our largest cities (Class B airspace) without special training
and flight instructor approval.

Sport Pilot

Sport pilots generally
fly in aircraft that fly at low speeds — less than 100 mph. The sport pilot certificate, introduced in 2004, created
a new medical standard for pilots. Sport pilots do not need a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate to
fly an aircraft. They may use their current driver's license as proof that they are medically fit to operate low-speed aircraft.

Sport pilots must be at least 17 years
old and have a minimum of 20 hours of flight time (although experience suggests that the certificate may take closer to 30
or 35 hours to earn). This includes 15 hours of flight training and five hours of solo flight.

Sport pilots may fly cross-country; however,
they cannot operate at airports or in airspace that require communication with air traffic control (ATC) unless they receive
the proper training and endorsements from a certificated flight instructor (CFI). They cannot fly after dark, and they can
carry only one passenger.

They must revalidate their pilot certificates
every 24 months by undertaking a flight review with a CFI.

Recreational Pilot

Recreational pilots are primarily people who learn to fly for fun,
with little interest in becoming professional pilots or using airplanes as a practical means of traveling from place to place.
Recreational pilots must be at least 17 years old and have a minimum of 30 hours of flight time (the real-world average is
more than 40 hours), including a minimum of 15 hours of flight instruction.

Recreational pilots may not fly more than
50 nautical miles (about 58 miles) from an airport at which they have received instruction, unless they receive appropriate
cross-country training and a special instructor's endorsement. Recreational pilots may not carry more than one passenger at
a time, and they may not fly for hire or at night. They are not permitted to operate an aircraft on any charity flights, nor
in connection with a business or their employment. They may fly only single-engine airplanes that have fixed landing gear,
no more than four seats, and an engine of no more than 180 hp. They may not fly in airspace where communication with air traffic
control (ATC) is required unless they receive the appropriate training and have a special endorsement from a certificated
flight instructor (CFI).

As a result of these restrictions, the vast
majority of people studying for their recreational pilot certificate continue to earn their private pilot certificate. Because
of this, there usually are only about 300 pilots with the recreational certificate each year.

Recreational pilots must have a current
Class III medical, which they must renew every 24 or 36 months (depending upon age). They must revalidate their pilot certificates
every 24 months by undertaking a flight review with a CFI.

Private Pilot

Private pilots comprise the largest group of pilots and are among the most active flyers. In 2003,
there were 241,045 private pilots. To become a private pilot, one must be at least 17 years old and have a minimum of 40 hours
of flight time (the actual average is about 70 hours), including 20 hours of instruction and 10 hours of solo. Pilots trained
according to accelerated curricula defined in Part 141 of the Federal Aviation Regulations may be certified with a minimum
of 35 hours of flight time.

Private pilots may not fly for compensation
or hire (no passenger or revenue services) but may share equally with their passengers the direct operating expenses of a
flight — specifically fuel, oil, airport parking and landing fees, and aircraft rental charges.

Private pilots must
have a current Class III medical, which they must renew every 24 or 36 months (depending upon age). They must revalidate their
pilot certificates every 24 months by undertaking a flight review with a certificated flight instructor (CFI).

Instrument Rating

While technically not a pilot certificate,
the instrument rating is the most common and logical step to take after gaining some experience while flying with a private
pilot certificate. This add-on rating allows a pilot to fly in weather with reduced visibilities such as rain, low clouds,
or heavy haze. When flying in these conditions, pilots follow instrument flight rules (IFR). The instrument rating provides
the skills needed to complete flights without visual reference to the ground, except for the takeoff and landing phases. All
pilots who fly above 18,000 feet mean sea level (msl) must have an instrument rating.

The instrument rating
makes the use of aircraft more practical for routine transportation because most of the time, an "IFR-rated" pilot will be
able to safely conduct their flight in spite of the weather conditions they may encounter.

The instrument rating
requires highly specialized training by a certificated flight instructor (CFI) with a special instrument instruction rating
(CFII), and completion of an additional written exam, oral exam, and flight test. Pilots applying for an instrument rating
must hold at least a current private pilot certificate and medical, have logged at least 50 hours of cross-country flight
time as pilot in command, and have at least 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time including at least 15 hours of
instrument flight training and instrument training on cross-country flight procedures.

If not used on a
regular and sufficient basis, pilots must revalidate their instrument rating every 12 months by undertaking an instrument
proficiency check with a CFI.

Commercial
Pilot

As the name implies,
commercial pilots can be paid to fly aircraft. Commercial pilots
must be at least 18 yearsold and have a minimum of 250 hours of flight time (190 hours under the accelerated curriculum defined
in Part 141 of the Federal Aviation Regulations), including 100 hours in powered aircraft, 50 hours in airplanes, and 100
hours as pilot in command (of which 50 hours must be cross-country flight time). They must hold an instrument rating, or be
restricted to flying for hire only in daylight, under visual flight rules (VFR), within 50 miles of the originating airport.
They may fly for hire in accordance with applicable parts of the Federal Aviation Regulations.

Commercial pilots must have a current and more stringent Class II medical, which they must renew every 12 months.
They must revalidate their pilot certificates every 24 months by undertaking a flight review with a certified flight instructor
(CFI). There were 123,990 commercial pilots in 2003.

Certificated Flight Instructor

A certificated flight
instructor (CFI) is authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to give instruction to student pilots and pilots taking
recurrent training or preparing for additional certificates or ratings. They also may give flight reviews and recommend their
students for flight tests. CFIs must be at least 18 years old and must hold at least a commercial pilot certificate and instrument
rating. CFIs may earn a special instrument instructor rating, allowing them to teach instrument flying (operating an aircraft
in the air solely by instrument indications without visual reference to the ground). An instructor with this rating is called
a CFII.

In addition to undertaking
their normal flight review every 24 months, CFIs must revalidate their instructor certification every 24 months. There were
87,816 flight instructors in 2003.

Airline
Transport Pilots

This is the doctorate degree of piloting — and 143,504 pilots were in this
distinguished category in 2003. Airline transport pilots (ATPs) must be at least 23 years old and have a minimum of 1,500
hours of flight time, including 500 hours of cross-country flight time, 100 hours of night flying, and 75 hours in actual
or simulated instrument flight conditions. Most ATPs have many thousands of hours of flight time. ATPs also must have a commercial
certificate and an instrument rating. ATPs may instruct other pilots in air transportation service in aircraft in which the
ATP is rated. They may not instruct pilots outside of air transportation service unless they also have an appropriate fight
instructor certificate.

ATPs must have a
current and much more stringent Class I medical, which they are required to renew every six months. Like all pilots, they
must revalidate their certificates every 24 months with a flight review. However, most active ATPs undergo a checkride in
an aircraft or simulator every six months.

Designated
Examiner

If the airline transport pilot is the doctorate
degree of piloting, then becoming a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) designated pilot examiner (DPE) is the equivalent
of mastering advanced post-doctoral work. These individuals are few and far between. They're almost like judges in that they
have to be appointed by the regional FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). Before one can become a DPE, he or she usually
has to wait for one of the current DPEs in that region of the United States to retire. As the name implies, these people have
been designated by the FAA to test or examine the performance of their fellow pilots. DPEs typically have decades of real-world
experience and perform the majority of official FAA checkrides or flight tests for everyone from new pilots to seasoned airline
captains.